ROYAL CITY GOGOS' POWER OF 10

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Grandmothers Campaign, Royal City Gogos are asking 1,000 people to donate $10 each to help us raise $10,000.

Everyone knows, on some level, there is AIDS in Africa, people have died and there are orphans but few fully grasp the scope of the pandemic. In the past 30 years almost 30 million people have died leaving 17 million orphan children -- that's almost twice the number of children in all of Canada.

In the face of unbearable grief the grandmothers of Africa bury their own beloved children, cope with their own deteriorating health and begin to parent again with few resources.​Ten years ago the Stephen Lewis Foundation took a leap of faith. Hoping the unique love that binds grandmothers to their grandchildren would transcend language and culture, they brought Canadian and African grandmothers together to share their stories. The plan worked and Canadian grandmothers rallied in solidarity with their African sisters.

Ten years later the Grandmothers Campaign has grown to encompass more than 8000 women in 250 groups across Canada. Royal City Gogos is a Grandmothers Campaign group based in New Westminster.

In 10 years Canadian grandmothers have raised more than $25 million. The funds go directly to grassroots organizations in 15 countries in Africa operated by and for grandmothersAfrican grandmothers have the expertise to address the needs of their communities and our resources have given them the means to do so. Hope is restored as grandmothers and orphaned children receive holistic support at the community level and the tide of AIDS has begun to turn. That's the power of 10 years of sustained funding.

Royal City Gogos challenges residents of New Westminster and our friends and family to help us celebrate 10 years by raising $10,000 with donations of $10 (or more) to the Grandmothers Campaign. Receipts will be give for donations over $20. ​With your support hope is rising in Africa for an HIV-free generation. Won't you help us?